Fire protection system for rotary printing press



1964 c. HORNBERGER ETAL 3,163,103

FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM FOR ROTARY PRINTING PRESS Original Filed Aug. 29,1961 INVENTORS:

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United States Patent 3,163,108 FIRE PRGTEC'HON SYSTEM FOR RGTARYPRINTING PRESS Clarence L. Hornberger and Edward W. Stanley,

Lancaster, Pa, assignors to Armstrong Cork Company,

Lancaster, 132., a corporation of Pennsylvania Continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 134,712, Aug. 29,

1961. This appiication dune 25, 1963, Ser. No. 290,991 9 Claims. (Cl.101-154) The present invention relates broadly to rotary printing, andmore particularly to a rotary printing press and system havingincorporated therein a fire prevention and/ or extinguishing system.

This is a continuation of our prior application entitled Fire ProtectionSystem for Rotary Printing Press filed August 29, 1961, and bearingSerial No. 134,712.

More specifically, the present invention relates to an offset gravureprinting system incorporating a plurality of cylinders some of whichincorporate means to print various colored patterns in sequentialoperation in a series of printing units, and in each of which a printingink is used and/or an ink solvent is utilized in a device or mechanismfor cleansing a roll or preventing ink drying.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a rotary printingpress having the various cooperating printing cylinders confined withina substantially closed housing, and in which the arrangement ofcylinders provides for an upward substantially vertical passage of theWeb to be printed from the printing area into a drying area prior tomovement from one printing press unit to a succeeding one for printingof another color or pattern thereon.

Details of a printing press unit to effect the desired ultimate resultare incorporated in a co-pending application, Serial No. 134,606 filedAugust 29, 1961, titled Rotary Printing Press and System, assigned to acommon assignee with the present application, and which gives a detaileddescription of the entire system into which the present invention isincorporated.

Heretofore in printing presses and with particular reference to gravuretypes of presses as contemplated by the present invention, a usualmethod of CO or fire protection consisted of stringing several COnozzles somewhere in the front, or overhead, or partly both, of thepress portion containing the ink fountain. The present press wasdesigned to give full access to the front and top of the press unit inorder to eliminate difiiculties in removing and/ or replacing variousunits of the press, such as an offset or flexographic roll or cylinder.As will appear hereinafter, the present invention incorporates meanswhereby the various cylinders can be removed vertically from the pressunit which negates problems heretofore encountered, such as in removingthe cylinders laterally or transversely and placing them on a dolly forremoval to an area of storage or repair.

Additionally, in accordance with the basic concepts of the presentinvention, a very compact and efiicient press unit has been created inwhich there has been incorporated a very efficient fire preventionsystem. The present invention insures that in the event of fire, the COgas will be liberated in a conventional manner and will immediatelyflood the most hazardous area 'of the press, namely, the fountain area.

In some press construction of a gravure type, the danger area wouldexist only in the area of the ink fountain. The present invention,however, consists not only in an area wherein an ink fountain exists butalso in an ad jacent area wherein a blotter roll or the like, adaptedfor coaction with the flexographic roll or offset roll, is immersed inan ink solvent in a solvent fountain or pan and which also is subject tothe hazard of fires. It is accordingly the primary object of the presentinvention to incorporate in a rotary press unit or system a means ofpreventing and/ or extinguishing fires which might occur and even moreobjectively to place the mechanism in close approximation to the hazardareas.

While the present invention is particularly applicable to the system orarrangement of the present invention, nevertheless it has applicabilityto a broader field of enclosed printing units wherein either ink or inksolvent pans are incorporated.

Additional advantages and features of the present invention will be morereadily apparent from the following detailed description of anembodiment of the present invention when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings and following description.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical elevational view through a press unit incorporatingan associated dryer section in accordance with the present invention andincluding a unique fire extinguishing system; and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlargement of a portion of FIG. 1.

As pointed out hereinbefore, the present press was designed to give fullaccess to the front and top of the cylinders so that it was extremelyimportant to place the CO nozzles in an area where they would notinterfere with such access but also would provide a maximum ofprotection in the event of fire. According to the present invention, inthe event of fire, the CO gas will be liberated in a conventional mannerand will immediately flood the most hazardous area of the press, namelythe ink fountain, and/or an ink solvent fountain as applied to a blotterroll, and as specifically disclosed in the aforementioned co-pendingapplication.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, FIG. 1 discloses incross-section one unit of a multiple unit printing press incorporatingan offset gravure printing principle. Each of the units includes,generally speaking, a press section 10 and a dryer section or assembly12. Rotatably mounted within the press section are the operatingcylinders for the printing. These include engraved cylinder 14, offsetcylinder 16 which incorporates a rubber cover 18, and an impressioncylinder 20. Each of these cylinders, as is well understood in the art,is necessary for offset gravure printing. These cylinders aresubstantially enclosed in a cover surrounding the unit frame for safetyand cleanliness. The cover includes structure such as front wall 22, topwall 24 and rear wall 26. An inner passageway or walkway which isincorporated in the unit is shown at 23, and which is cutoff from theoperating units of the press.

Interiorly of the press unit there are rotatably mounted a blotter roll31) adapted for engagement with an offset cylinder, or flexographiccylinder which might be substituted therefor, and which is rotatablewithin an ink solvent bath 32 operative to clean the blotter roll, whichpreferably is rubber covered, and/ or to insure cleaning of the offsetor flexographic roll or cylinder to prevent drying in.

An ink fountain assembly generally designated 34 is incorporated in theapparatus and includes a primary ink' pan 35 and a secondary ink pan 38which, as is apparent from the drawings, is curved :to substantiallymate with the exterior curved surface of the engraved cylinder 14' toinsure an adequate ink supply thereto, and from which an excess of inkflows over into primary ink pan 36 from which it is exhausted throughconduit 4-0 to an appropriate ink supply system.

Blotter roll ink solvent pan 42 which incorporates the solvent bath 32,has an upstanding front wall 44. This spaced from one another in such amanner that the two 3 fountains are separated by a hollow partition 46formed between the Walls, and a wall member 48 closes the bottom areabetween the wall 36 and 4 and in effect forms a plenum chamber as at 50which extends transversely across the width of the unit. A plurality of(D nozzles 52 open into the plenum chamber and are connected through aconduit 54 to a source of CO gas under pressure. A bafile or deflector56 having the shape of an inverted L-angle, and a base therefor, ispositioned above the open top of the hollow partition with the baseinserted between the wall members and the legs forming the deflector inspaced relation with the upper edges of the walls. Actuation of the COsystem can be efiected by means, for example, of heat sensing elements,not shown, or manual control means, not shown, or preferably both in theevent of fire.

It will be understood that .a plurality of nozzles 52 extend across thewidth of the machine and upon actuation, the CO will first ilood theplenum chamber 5% and then pass up through the partition, striking thedeflector and thus spreading the gas over the liquid in both fountains.It is to be understood that in presses wherein an ink solvent pan is notutilized, the principle of the present invention in presenting to thehazardous area, a C gas flow, within an enclosure for the cylinders ismost elfective in preventing and/ or extin uishing tires which mightotherwise occur. It has been found that this system is extremelyeffective since it is directly in the zone of potential fire hazard andfurthermore, as regards the present press assembly, is completelyremoved from the access areas.

in the upper portion of the front of the unit there is atransversely-extending heat-accumulator hood A conduit 6% connected toa. suitable source of CO gas under pressure extends across the interiorof this hood and has a plurality of CO nozzles 62 connected thereinto.Heat-responsive control means and/or manual means (not shown) can beused to actuate this portion of the CO system for flowing of gas overand down the front portion of this machine.

In order to prevent damage and/ or fire hazard within the press unit, anadditional fire protection CO system is incorporated in the walkway 28intermediate the press section ill and the dryer section 12. Thisincludes a C0 conduit 64 positioned in the top of the walkway 28 andfrom which extends a plurality of CO nozzles 66 which open into the areaabove the walkway, and wherein an upper idler roll 68 is positioned overwhich the web VJ passes after having passed through the press section,and is descending downwardly through the dryer section wherein aplunality of tubes 7th project drying heated air against the web from asource, not shown, to dry the ink which has been placed on the web inthe press section.

It will accordingly be seen that the present invention teaches aconstruction for rotary printing presses and particularly those havingoffset rotary gr-avure type wherein all hazardous areas of the presshave incorporated therein efiicient and eflective fire extinguishingmechanisms. While of particular importance to a press as shown anddescribed in the present application and the aforesaid co-pendingapplication, the present invention is applicable to many closed or othertypes of press units.

Manifestly minor changes in details of construction will be apparent tothose skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention and defined in and limited solely by the appended claims.

'1. In a printing press including an enclosed press section, a'pluralityof cylinders mounted in said press section, at least two reservoirs forliquid in said press section below said cylinders, each saidreservoirhaving an upstanding wall portion, the said wall portions definingtherebetween a plenum chamber, a gas fire extinguishing system in saidpress section including at least one CO nozzle in operativecommunication with said plenum Cal l chamber operable to discharge gasupwardly through said chamber and means at the upper end of said chamberto deflect CO gas over the liquid in said reservoirs.

2. In a rotary printing press an enclosed press section, an engravedcylinder, an oilset cylinder and an impression cylinder in coactingoperative engagement and mounted in said enclosed press section, an inkfountain positioned below said engraved cylinder with the engraredcylinder partially immersed in ink therein, a blotter roll in saidenclosed press section below said offset roll and adjacent said inkfountain, an ink solvent pan disposed below said blotter roll with saidblotter roll being partially immersed in the solvent therein, said inkfountain including an ink pan having a vertically extended wall betweensaid fountain and said ink solvent pan, said ink solvent pan having anextended wall spaced from said wall of said pan and forming therebetweena hollow partition, means closing the bottom opening between said wallsand forming therein a plenum chamber, a CO gas fire extinguishing systemin said enclosed press section including a plurality of CO nozzlesspaced transversely across the width of the press below said inkfountain and said cylinders and opening into said plenum chamber wherebyupon actuation of said C0 system gas will iloy' into said plenum chamberupwardly through said hollow partition and thereby spreading the gasover the liquid in said ink and ink solvent pan".

3. In a rotary printing press as claimed in claim 2 an inverted angulardeflector positioned above the open top or" hollow partition in slightlyspaced relation to the upper ends of said walls and adapted to directflow of the gas toward said ink and ink solvent pans.

4. In a rotary printing press as claimed in claim 3 and including a webdrying section positioned above said press section, a plurality of COgas nozzles in proximity to the top of said dryer section spacedtransversely across the front of the press and adapted to fiow CO gasdownwardly across the front of said dryer section and said press.

5. in a rotary printing press as claimed in claim 4 a transverselyextending heat-accumulator hood partially surrounding and enclosing heatsensing elements disposed therein.

6. In a rotary printing press as claimed in claim 5 said press sectionhaving a walkway therethrough and a plurality of CO gas nozzlestransversely disposed therethrough and opening into said dryer sectionand adapted to flow CO gas to said dryer section, said dryer sectionbeing substantially closed.

7. In a printing press including a press section, a plurality ofcylinders in the press section, at least one of which is an engravedcylinder, the cylinders being generally horizontally arranged to providefree access thereto for removal through the top of the press section, atleast one reservoir for liquid in said press section below said engravedcylinder, said reservoir having a wall portion defining one wall of aplenum chamber adjacent said reservoir, a C0 gas fire extinguishingsystem in said press section including at least one C0 nozzle incommunication with the plenum chamber operable to discharge CO gastherethrough over said reservoir and liquid therein, the position ofsaid nozzle and system providing free access to said cylinders forselective re moval thereof from the top of the press section.

8. In a printing press as claimed in claim '7 wherein said CO nozzle isdisposed below said reservoir and including deflector means disposedabove said reservoir to deflect CO gas over the liquid in saidreservoir.

9. In a rotary printing press, a press section, an engraved cylinder, anoffset cylinder and an impression cylinder in coacting operativeengagement and mounted in said press section, said cylinders beinggenerally horizontally arranged to provide a free access thereto forremoval through the top of the press section, an ink fountain positionedbelow said engraved cylinder with 5 6 the engraved cylinder partiallyimmersed in ink therein, said cylinders for selective removal thereoffrom the top said ink fountain having a wall portion defining one WallOf the Press Sectionof a plenum chamber adjacent said reservoir, a C0gas fire extinguishing system in said press section including ReferencesClted m the file of thls Patent at least one CO nozzle in operativecommunication with 5 UNITED T TE TENT he plenum chamber operable todischarge gas there- 1,749,31 Catlin Man 5 1930 through over said inkfountain and ink therein, the posi- 2,664,955 Winkler J an. 5, 1954 tionof said nozzle and system providing free access to 2,676,538 BamfordApr. 27, 1954

1. IN A PRINTING PRESS INCLUDING AN ENCLOSED PRESS SECTION, A PLURALITYOF CYLINDERS MOUNTED IN SAID PRESS SECTION, AT LEAST TWO RESERVOIRS FORLIQUID IN SAID PRESS SECTION BELOW SAID CYLINDERS, EACH SAID RESERVOIRHAVING AN UPSTANDING WALL PORTION, THE SAID WALL PORTIONS DEFININGTHEREBETWEEN A PLENUM CHAMBER, A CO2 GAS FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM INSAID PRESS SECTION INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE CO2 NOZZLE IN OPERATIVECOMMUNICATION WITH SAID PLENUM CHAMBER OPERABLE TO DISCHARGE GASUPWARDLY THROUGH SAID CHAMBER AND MEANS AT THE UPPER END OF SAID CHAMBERTO DEFLECT CO2 GAS OVER THE LIQUID IN SAID RESERVOIRS.